At least five people were injured when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook Pakistan's Balochistan province on Sunday.

The earthquake, with an epicentre near Barkan town, struck around 3.30 am local time, according to paramilitary Levies official Tauqeer Shah.

“We have reports of at least five people being injured including a couple whose house roof collapsed in the Rara Shaim area near Barkan,” Shah said.

The United States Geological Survey put the epicentre of the quake around 60 kilometres from Barkan town.

Shah said the tremors were felt in many areas near Barkan including Rara Shaim, Kingri and Wastu.

According to initial reports, around a dozen houses were damaged during the tremors while cracks appeared in many residences in the affected areas. Some media reports stated that the earthquake measured 5.5 on the Richter scale.

In 2021, an earthquake in the Harnai town of the province left 20 people dead and scores injured, while in October 2005, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in the northern areas of Pakistan killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million people homeless.

In June, Pakistan's largest city, Karachi also experienced around a dozen earthquake tremors between magnitudes 2.2 and 3.5, but no casualties or damage were reported.

Pakistan has five seismic zones as it is located on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian, according to experts.

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